Obama Argues Against Dark Worldview, Defends Health Care Law

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDU_9Ms9-Sw Former President Barack Obama delivered a rebuke of President Trump's "America First" worldview Wednesday in New York, the same city where Trump is meeting with world leaders on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. "You have to start with a premise and believe that multilateral institutions and efforts are important," Obama said, "and you don't have to cede all your sovereignty and it doesn't make you less patriotic to believe…

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Former President Barack Obama delivered a rebuke of President Trump's "America First" worldview Wednesday in New York, the same city where Trump is meeting with world leaders on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

"You have to start with a premise and believe that multilateral institutions and efforts are important," Obama said, "and you don't have to cede all your sovereignty and it doesn't make you less patriotic to believe that. You just have to have some sense — and read."

He also offered a vigorous defense of his signature health care law, the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, as Senate Republicans in Washington, D.C., try to corral the final votes needed to pass their latest effort to repeal and replace it.

"It is aggravating," the former president said of watching yet another repeal effort, "and all of this being done without any ... rationale, it frustrates. And it is certainly frustrating to have to mobilize every couple of months to prevent our leaders from imposing real human suffering on our constituents."

Though he did not name Trump during his speech and a question-and-answer session that followed, Obama argued against a dark and pessimistic world outlook.

"We have to reject the notion that we are suddenly gripped by forces that we cannot control," Obama said at a Goalkeepers conference, a gathering of young, international activists sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (which is among NPR's financial supporters). "[We've] got to embrace the longer and more optimistic view of history and the role that we play in it. And if you are skeptical of such optimism, I will say something that may sound controversial. ... By just about every measure, America is better and the world is better than it was 50 years ago, 30 years ago, or even 10 years ago. And I know that statement doesn't jibe with the steady stream of bad news and cynicism that we're fed through television and Twitter. But it's true. Think about it: I was born at a time, for example, when women and people of color were systematically excluded from big chunks of American life. ... Even if we still have miles to travel and innumerable laws and hearts and minds to change, the shift in what this country is and what it means is astonishing, remarkable and it's happened, when you measure it against the scope of human history [snaps fingers] in an instant."

Obama argued that crime, teen birth, dropout, poverty and uninsured rates are all down; and that the share of those with college degrees is up, as are median incomes and life expectancies. He also contended that democratic and civil rights — like the right to vote and the right to marry — have expanded for women, ethnic and racial minorities and gays and lesbians.

Danish divers looking for the remains of Swedish journalist Kim Wall, whose torso washed ashore in Copenhagen this summer, made a gruesome discovery Friday nearby in Køge Bay. "We found a leg and then another leg, and shortly thereafter, we found a head, which was also in a bag weighed down by several pieces of metal," Chief Police Investigator Jens Møller Jensen said at a press briefing Saturday, according to a translation by The Guardian . Møller Jensen said they also found a weighted ba…

Danish divers looking for the remains of Swedish journalist Kim Wall, whose torso washed ashore in Copenhagen this summer, made a gruesome discovery Friday nearby in Køge Bay. "We found a leg and then another leg, and shortly thereafter, we found a head, which was also in a bag weighed down by several pieces of metal," Chief Police Investigator Jens Møller Jensen said at a press briefing Saturday, according to a translation by The Guardian . Møller Jensen said they also found a weighted ba…

As Hurricane Nate churns over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico toward American shores, it is growing in strength and speed after leaving a trail of devastation in Central America. In its 7 a.m., CDT advisory , the National Hurricane Center said the Category 1 storm was located about 245 miles south southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River and headed north northwest with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph. "We are expecting Nate to continue to strengthen today (Saturday)," said…

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week: New Muhammad Ali Biography Reveals A Flawed Rebel Who Loved Attention: "I don't think we do Ali any good by treating him as a saint," says biographer Jonathan Eig. "He was a human being, and he was…

Danish divers looking for the remains of Swedish journalist Kim Wall, whose torso washed ashore in Copenhagen this summer, made a gruesome discovery Friday nearby in Køge Bay. "We found a leg and then another leg, and shortly thereafter, we found a head, which was also in a bag weighed down by several pieces of metal," Chief Police Investigator Jens Møller Jensen said at a press briefing Saturday, according to a translation by The Guardian . Møller Jensen said they also found a weighted ba…

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week: New Muhammad Ali Biography Reveals A Flawed Rebel Who Loved Attention: "I don't think we do Ali any good by treating him as a saint," says biographer Jonathan Eig. "He was a human being, and he was…

Danish divers looking for the remains of Swedish journalist Kim Wall, whose torso washed ashore in Copenhagen this summer, made a gruesome discovery Friday nearby in Køge Bay. "We found a leg and then another leg and shortly thereafter we found a head, which was also in a bag weighed down by several pieces of metal," Chief Police Investigator Jens Møller Jensen said at a press briefing Saturday, according to a translation by The Guardian . Møller Jensen said they also found a weighted bag c…

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week: New Muhammad Ali Biography Reveals A Flawed Rebel Who Loved Attention: "I don't think we do Ali any good by treating him as a saint," says biographer Jonathan Eig. "He was a human being, and he was…

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As Hurricane Nate churns over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico toward American shores, it is growing in strength and speed after leaving a trail of devastation in Central America. In its 7 a.m., advisory , the National Hurricane Center said the Category 1 storm was located about 245 miles south southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River and headed north northwest with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph. "We are expecting Nate to continue to strengthen today (Saturday)," said Mike…

As Hurricane Nate churns over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico toward American shores, it is growing in strength and speed after leaving a trail of devastation in Central America. In its 7 a.m., advisory , the National Hurricane Center said the Category 1 storm was located about 245 miles south southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River and headed north northwest with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph. "We are expecting Nate to continue to strengthen today (Saturday)," said Mike…

As Hurricane Nate churns over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico toward American shores, it is growing in strength and speed after leaving a trail of devastation in Central America. In its 7 a.m., advisory , the National Hurricane Center said the Category 1 storm was located about 245 miles south southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River and headed north northwest with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph. "We are expecting Nate to continue to strengthen today (Saturday)," said Mike…

Even before Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo carved it in blood, the 224-mile border dividing the island of Hispaniola between Haiti and the Dominican Republic was complicated. Tensions between the two countries stemmed back to a 19th century war. But in many ways, the border, which existed mostly on paper, was a notably seamless site: Children crossed back and forth freely to go to school on one side and home on the other. Sprawling cattle ranches spanned the divide, and Dominicans and…